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A Missouri businessman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for falsely claiming to be the recipient of three Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts in order to win federal contracts set aside for disabled vets. The man was also ordered to hand over a book in which he had recorded a list of wartime sniper kills that never actually occurred.

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The military's mental health care burden has increased dramatically in the wake of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new report from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center. The differences between prewar and wartime levels for ambulatory visits, hospitalizations and hospital bed days related to mental health have increased 35%, 63% and 48%, respectively.

Kent Carson, an Illinois man who survived Legionnaires' disease, is working to have water-testing requirements put in place for buildings that have risk factors for legionella. Officials said they have doubts about the effectiveness of such measures. Local health officials said it would be difficult to pinpoint the source without having multiple cases to investigate, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only get involved if an outbreak occurred. Carson has hired a firm to test his home and a Michigan hotel he visited.

A recent Supreme Court decision to throw out a federal law barring false claims about military honors has been supported by some veterans and harshly criticized by others. Vietnam Vet Jack Jacobs said the ruling defends the free-speech rights which he served in the military to protect. Others say that the ruling could lead to skepticism about heroism claims that are true.

Marine Sgt. Matthew T. Abbate will receive the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroism during an Oct. 14, 2010, battle in Afghanistan. Abbate, with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines out of Camp Pendleton, was cited for taking command of his scout-sniper unit during an ambush and helping suppress an enemy attack. He died in combat six weeks later.